Jabiru, fabulous Ubirr and on to Darwin

Thousands of years old Artworks

I had a relatively short ride from Katherine to Jabiru. Nothing unusual on the way there, except that a lot of the Savannah grass had been burnt to help the new growth to come forth. This is the time of year when the Aboriginal people do this, when the dry season has begun, its perfect to burn off grass, keep the fires small and at the same time forestall really big fires that destroy the lot.

I thought I would use Jabiru as a jump-off point, to venture out into the Kakadu area. That idea was good as it turned out to be vitually insect free in the evening also, giving me a perfect night's sleep. My next-door neighbor advised me that they had stayed the previous night at a campsite at Merle, which is only a few kilometres away from where I was planning to go, Ubirr a site of many Rock paintings by Aboriginals, dating back thousands of years, but also with newer Art, being only a few hundred years old. So, at short notice, I decided not to stay there and be eaten alive by the mozzies.

On checkout, this morning, from the Kakadu Lodge Trailer Park, (which is operated by the Aurora Hotels & Resorts) where I spent last night, I wanted to collect a signature on my Centrelink form, so I can claim a rebate from the Government. The girl at the counter informed me that management had decided to no longer sign these forms. When I asked for someone from the management I was informed that there would be no-one there who could help me. Just like that! I do intend to take that one up with their management via email and keep you informed...

Ubirr (pronounce it in German) is a real treasure with a walk-about track that leads you past most of the old artworks,


finally ending on a high plateau that offers magnificent views of the wetlands, the Nardab floodplain, wide and green for many kilometres, but looking the opposite way, all your eyes can see are rocky outcrops and dry bushland.


A view of the wetlands

I really enjoyed the time I spent there, also took lots of pictures. When I left there, I drove right past that campsite at Merle and kept on going for about 260km all the way to Darwin, where I am writing from now.